"Ibo's nomination shows just how high a standard our players and our team are performing at,” Simon Rolfes, Bayer 04’s managing director sport, said in the run-up to the announcement. Maza joined Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025 from Hertha Berlin. Last season, he made 44 appearances for the Werkself across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing seven assists.
Other nominees included Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Yan Diomande (Real Madrid/formerly RB Leipzig) and Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain). Another player who, alongside Maza, featured on the ten-man shortlist was long-serving Leverkusen player Kerim Alajbegovic, who had played for Bayer 04 until 2025.
Three Werkself players – Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and Alejandro Grimaldo – were among the nominees for the Ballon d’Or in 2024. Xabi Alonso was in the running for Men’s Coach of the Year, and Bayer 04 were nominated for Club of the Year. Wirtz was again among the nominees for the Ballon d’Or in 2025.
About the Ballon d'Or:
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award in football and was established in 1956 by the sports journal France Football. Since 2024, the awards have been presented in collaboration with UEFA. The 2026 awards ceremony took place in London for the first time as part of the 70th-anniversary celebrations.
It has been a long time since feeling what it’s like to come away empty-handed. The last – and so far only – defeat of the season, in Elversberg, was two months ago. Since then, Bayer 04 have followed that up with seven wins and a draw. Now it has happened again away to TSG Hoffenheim. As the match progressed, the Werkself grew in confidence and “could even have scored the opening goal”, as Robert Andrich said after the game. In the end, it was the side from Sinsheim who sealed a 3–0 victory after “hectic closing stages” (kicker). The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-2 loss at 1. FC Nürnberg on Matchday 8 of the 2026/27 Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 0-3 loss at TSG Hoffenheim on Matchday 7 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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After nine points from their first three away matches of the 2026/27 season, the Bayer 04 Women suffered their first away defeat on Sunday afternoon. The 2-0 defeat away to FC Nürnberg, who were winless before today, represented a setback for coach Roberto Pätzold’s team in the race for the top spots in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. Fany Pronietz scored both goals (62’, 85’) for the home side.
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